Learn Java Programming: everything is free and this is how to get started

Download JDK, Netbeans IDE and create your first project

Learn Java Programming: everything is free and this is how to get started

The first step in learning anything is usually the hardest. As humans we tell ourselves one thousand and one reasons why we can do a lot of things we would have loved to do. The achievers among us are the ones whom despite all these noises of doubt and excuses in their heads find a strong enough reason to follow their heart and get that thing done.

If there is anything that can be overwhelming, it’s programming. Truth be told programming especially Java is hard to a lot of people. So you need to have a very strong reason for wanting to learn to code. Although in my first article I talked about ways to learn programming without quitting your day job, in this post I’m going get you started, yes I said it, get you started in coding and i hope you find a strong enough reason to drive yourself to achieve this ambitious dream of learning to code. Trust me it’s going to be worth it at the end especially with a whole new career opportunities that will open up to you.

Probably the most beautiful thing about programming at this time in the world’s history is the fact all the tools and technologies you need are completely free. And now you’re getting this guide free among many other tutorials out there. Enough talk, we have work to do.

Select the latest Java SE Development Kit on the download page for your system, be it Windows, Mac or Linux, accept software license and click the link to download. (The latest is usually the first on the panel). When the download is complete, follow these 2 steps:

Just like in any trade or business, you need tools to get things done. To write, compile and run Java codes, Netbeans IDE is the best I know (IDE stands for Integrated Development Environment) . And at the time of this writing version 8.2 is the latest. Follow these steps to install Netbeans IDE:

Now let's run our application to see what we have achieved. To do that, click on the Run tab on the menu bar and select Run Project (HelloWorld). After a while a new window will open at the bottom in the IDE with a message like below: